CH 22 My Favorite Part Is Always (Grave Robbing) Collecting The Loot!

Ren’s gaze moved across the room again, searching for anything he might have missed earlier. Several monitors lined the walls. Most of them were shattered. The control board in the center had been smashed with deliberate force, not destroyed by stray attacks. Buttons were ripped out, wires torn loose, and panels bent inward. This was not collateral damage. Someone had intentionally ruined everything.

Ren stepped forward, and looked at the control board.

The Mechanic destroyed everything before running away, so that we can’t use anything, Ren thought.

The conclusion felt reasonable, yet it also created more questions. The Mechanic had defended the base stubbornly earlier, deploying multiple automatons and even using the maze. Someone like that would not abandon his position without a reason. Losing the antenna reduced his combat ability, but it did not remove it entirely. Ren still believed the Mechanic had more tricks prepared. That meant the retreat itself might be a trap. He imagined the Mechanic hiding nearby, waiting for him to relax his guard before launching a sudden ambush. The thought made him instinctively tense, and he scanned the corners of the room again with his Mana Zone, watching for movement.

There are two possibilities. He’s hiding and pretending to run away, or he actually left because defending this place doesn’t matter anymore, Ren thought.

The first possibility made more sense to Ren. After all, why would the Mechanic run away when the terraforming had yet to be complete?

Still, the second possibility lingered in his mind. If the terraforming process had already reached a point where it could no longer be stopped, then defending the Base would become meaningless. The Mechanic might have decided that staying here would only waste resources. That possibility was far more devastating, and Ren did not want it to be true. He pushed the thought aside and moved toward the door, opening it carefully before stepping into the corridor. The hallway was quiet, with several rooms on both sides. He checked them one by one. Each room contained beds, lockers, and scattered personal items. Some clothes were still hanging, and a few half-finished meals sat on tables. Everything suggested the rooms had been in use until very recently.

Ren continued forward. After confirming that no one remained in the nearby rooms, he reached the stairwell and began climbing cautiously. Halfway up, he noticed a thin crack in the air above the stairs.

“This is a Window?” he murmured.

He slowed and approached carefully, extending his hand. The moment his fingers touched the crack, a translucent screen appeared in front of him.

[Garden of Crazed Demons]
[Recommended Level: Level 25 or above]
[Participants: 2/20]

Ren’s eyes widened slightly as he read the information. There was no countdown timer. That alone told him what this was.

“It’s a Trial,” he said quietly.

Trials differed from Windows in a fundamental way. Windows connected to fragments of destroyed worlds or isolated dimensional spaces. Trials, however, connected to pieces of history. Entering one meant experiencing a recreated past, usually through the body of someone who had lived during that time. Scholars valued Trials because they allowed glimpses into lost civilizations and forgotten events. At the same time, they were far more dangerous. Inside a Trial, awakeners did not retain their original bodies. They possessed historical figures, sometimes even non-human beings. The mismatch often caused severe mental strain. Some awakeners reported difficulty recognizing themselves after returning, and others developed long-term psychological issues.

The biggest danger, however, was the objective. The System never revealed it. Participants had to interact with the environment, observe events, and deduce what they were supposed to accomplish. If they succeeded, they would return with extraordinary rewards that could turn their life around. If they failed, they did not return at all. The fate of those who failed remained unclear. Some claimed they died inside the Trial. Others believed they were sealed in an unknown dimension. The only confirmed fact was that they never came back.

At the same time, Rewards from Trials were far more valuable than those from Windows. Potions, abilities, stat increases, and rare artifacts were all possible rewards one could get. Trials were high-risk, high-reward.

Ren studied the title again. “Garden of Crazed Demons.”

The word demons caught his attention immediately. His Talent was Heir of Demonic Magic, and seeing the same term here felt like there might be connection between too.

Is the Trial related to my Talent? No, that would be too convenient—

A sudden thought came to him.

What if my summoning to this place wasn’t random? What if someone made sure I ended up here?

The speculation stretched too far. Still, he could not dismiss it entirely. If the summoning truly was random, then encountering a Trial with a name linked to his Talent felt strangely convenient. Of course, there was another explanation. The word demon might simply be common word. Ren had never heard it used outside of fictional contexts, but that did not prove anything. The universe was large, and the Land of Origins larger. Just because there was no information about “Demons” in Human Federation didn’t mean the information did not exist as common knowledge in other alien civilizations.

If someone really summoned me here, what is their goal? Or is this really a coincidence…

Ren shook his head. Those thoughts could wait. They were not urgent. It could be entirely true that his summoning to this place was just a coincidence, and so was this Trial entrance in front of him. Instead of worrying about problems like these, he needed to focus on issue directly in front of him.

His attention returned to the participant count. Two people had already entered. Ren’s mind began analyzing possibilities. The first idea was that the Mechanic had thrown two monsters inside. That would support the illusion that he had fled while actually preparing an ambush. The second possibility was that the Mechanic himself entered with whoever had been responsible for terraforming. Ren considered that option and frowned. If someone capable of terraforming an entire region existed, that person would likely be strong enough to confront him directly. Entering a Trial to run away instead felt unnecessary.

“The third option is that the Mechanic entered with Lotus’ Beast,” he muttered.

Her Beast had healing skills. It made sense to bring it along. Yet that scenario also had flaws. Clearing a Trial would be a lot harder than defending a Base. Choosing that path meant the Mechanic was confident in success. It also raised another question. If the Mechanic entered the Trial, then he had left behind the person responsible for the terraforming process?

Why would be do that? They were both allies. Unless…

“Unless there isn’t anyone else. What if the Mechanic handled the terraforming himself?”

That conclusion created another contradiction. Terraforming an entire region should require immense power and resources. Even if it didn’t, the Mechanic, still in pre-Class Evolution levels, should not be able to do something as huge as terraforming.

The contradiction of the facts before him kept bothering Ren, and the more he tried to connect the pieces, the less sense everything made. He let out a slow breath and rubbed his temple, trying to calm his thoughts.

“I’m missing too much information. Without that, none of this is going to make sense,” he muttered.

Instead of continuing to speculate, he decided to focus on gathering actual clues. Guesswork would only waste time. He began searching the building more thoroughly, moving through each hallway and checking every accessible room.

The central structure was designed for a Base Commander. It functioned both as an office and a residence, hence its large size. Several wings branched out from the main corridor, and many smaller offices lined the sides. Ren entered them one by one. Most looked abandoned, with overturned chairs, scattered documents, and empty shelves. Some drawers had been pulled out and left open, and in a few places the cabinets had been forced open. It looked like a chaotic evacuation. Someone had rushed to remove valuable items while leaving behind the rest. Ren continued deeper into the building and found storage rooms that were half-empty. Boxes had been opened, and equipment racks were stripped clean.

“Looks like he took everything of use before leaving,” Ren said under his breath, scanning the empty racks. The truth before him made him frown. Bringing weapons into a Trial required spending Stat points. Mechanics relied heavily on prepared tools, which meant entering a Trial would cost them a lot if they wanted to bring their combat power. The However, the Mechanic would have enough Stat points with the amount of monsters he killed while defending the Base.

Since everything is missing. It looks like he really did run away into the Trial with as many weapon as he could.

Though, if he really entered the Trial, he’s basically walking to his death. He is clearly specialized in setting up defenses to protect a location. Inside a Trial, he might not even get time to set up anything, Ren thought as he checked another room.

He paused for a moment, considering the alternative. There was still a chance the Mechanic could survive. If he somehow cleared the Trial, he would return far stronger than before. That possibility made Ren’s brows crease.

Should I enter the Trial and kill him before he gets a chance to complete the Trial?

He stood still for a moment, weighing the idea carefully. Trials could last weeks or even months. The terraforming process outside would finish within days. Entering the Trial now would mean abandoning the chance to stop it.

“No,” Ren said quietly, shaking his head. “Stopping the terraforming comes first. I can deal with the Trial afterward. Besides, Trials are much more difficult than Windows. There is a high chance he would die there.”

He resumed searching the building, and the deeper he went, the more surprised he became. Entire weapon racks were empty. Artifact storage cabinets had been cleared. Even basic supplies were missing. Whoever had done this had stripped the place thoroughly.

“He really cleaned everything out. Greedy bastard. Was there a problem if he left us something?” Ren muttered, clicking his tongue.

The level of greed was baffling, even to Ren. After all, every extra item brought needed Stat points.

After finishing his search of the entire building, Ren confirmed that the Mechanic was not inside. He found a few mechanical constructs scattered in storage rooms and hallways, but all of them were damaged beyond repair. The only useful items he discovered were a set of walkie-talkies. He picked them up and slipped them into his pocket. They might come in handy later. With nothing else to investigate, he moved toward the adjacent building connected to the central structure.

The moment he entered, he saw the portal. It stood upright within a circular metal frame supported by several heavy structures. The familiar blue glow filled the center, but faint red tinges flickered within it. Ren slowed his steps and studied it carefully.

“The red color must be from the terraforming.”

He walked closer and raised his hand, intending to touch the surface. Just before his fingers reached it, he stopped. Someone like him, who hadn’t even completed first Class Evolution, would be shredded to bits if he touched the portal, and the portal would also overlord and explode.

Still, the sight of the portal brought him relief. As long as it remained functional, he had a path back home. All he needed was to complete his first Class Evolution.

He narrowed his eyes at the red distortions. He had never seen a portal with that coloration before. He suspected they must be appearing due to the alterations being done to the Dimensional Pond. If he could stop the alteration, and let the Dimensional Pond, the corruption should be reversed, which might return to its pure blue state, allowing him to use it to return back home.

That meant his goal remained the same.

Ren reaffirmed his goal. He needed to stop the terraforming, which would allow him to fix the portal, and then he could return.

The objective felt close, yet still distant. He lowered his hand and stepped back. There was nothing else to do here. After confirming again that the Mechanic was not nearby, he turned and headed back outside.

Ren moved toward Lotus’ last known location. He knew there was a risk. If the Mechanic had remained in the Base, he might have already attacked her. Still, Ren had needed to search the buildings first. Rushing blindly would have been reckless. As he approached the open area, he kept his senses sharp. The silver armored automatons on the clock tower and walls remained motionless. The cannon had stopped whirring, likely entering standby mode after remaining unused for so long. The stillness suggested the Mechanic’s control had vanished.

Ren climbed the clock tower and removed the sniper rifle from the automaton. Even if it would not move anymore, leaving a weapon behind made no sense. He slung it over his shoulder and aimed toward the feet of the automaton positioned on the wall. He pulled the trigger. The bullet fired silently, striking near the target. Ren blinked in surprise, then examined the muzzle.

“This thing works.”

He let out a low whistle.

He adjusted the strap and secured the rifle on his shoulder.

“It’s good these weapons don’t rely on Mechanic Force. Makes sense. He couldn’t have put the Mechanic Force into the weapons when he was already controlling the automatons, so weapons like these were needed,” Ren said.

With the weapon secured, he moved toward Lotus’ location.

To his surprise, she had not moved. She sat with her back against the wall, knees drawn up, her face buried against them. Her shoulders trembled slightly. Ren slowed as he approached. She had not tried to flee, nor had she come to help him earlier. It looked as if she had simply given up. He landed lightly nearby, and she flinched at the sound. Slowly, she raised her head. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

“You’re alive?” she said, her voice rising with disbelief.

“Yeah,” Ren replied, nodding.

“What about the silver armored awakener?” she asked, pointing toward the automaton on the clock tower.

“That wasn’t an awakener. It was an automaton controlled by a Mechanic,” Ren answered.

“…What?” She blinked, confusion clearly written across her face.

Ren realized she had not noticed the connection between the antenna and the automatons. That made sense. He only understood it because he had spent time reading technical theory papers. Most people would not know about them, let alone connect those details. He gave her a brief explanation, describing how the antenna transmitted Mechanic Force and allowed remote control across the base. While speaking, he removed the water canteen tied to his waist and took a few gulps. Then he handed it to her. She accepted it silently and drank, her hands still slightly shaking.

After a moment, she returned the canteen, and Ren took it back before speaking.

“—There’s a Trial entrance inside the central building. It looks like the Mechanic entered it to escape.”

“So… you won? You forced him to run away?” Lotus’ eyes widened.

Ren nodded. Still, the Mechanic escaping still felt strange. Losing the antenna weakened him, but it did not explain abandoning everything. The second possibility lingered in Ren’s mind, one he did not want to accept. Maybe protecting the Base had already become meaningless. Maybe the terraforming could no longer be stopped. He pushed that thought aside and focused on the immediate task.

“Stand up. We need to search for Freya’s co… for Freya. After that, we’ll head toward the Pelulium Building and see if we can stop the terraforming,” Ren said, shifting his grip on the sniper.

Lotus’ lips tightened the moment he almost said corpse. Both of them understood what had happened. Freya had fallen from an extreme height. The chances of survival were low. Still, Lotus forced herself to stand. Her legs wobbled at first, but she steadied herself and followed Ren.

Ren collected the two handguns from the silver armored automaton nearby. Then, he recalled the maze-like layout he had seen earlier from the sky and guided them toward the location where Freya should have crashed.

They moved carefully, scanning their surroundings. The silence of the Base stretched around them. Ren kept his Mana Zone active, watching for sudden movement. There was still a chance the Mechanic entering the Trial was bait.

They had not gone far when Ren sensed something approaching from above. He reacted instantly, casting Earth Bullet and wrapping it with Wind Surge before adding Fire Bullet. The combined projectile shot forward just as a large head rose above the wall.

The bullet struck cleanly. The creature’s head burst apart, and its body collapsed into the corridor in front of them.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

[Level 18 Frost Lizard killed.]
[1811 days lifespan gained.]
[3657 EXP gained.]

The corpse resembled a giant white lizard. Its scales were rough and grainy, with frost-like patterns covering its body.

“Looks like more monsters are entering the Base. A Window probably broke open nearby,” Ren said.

From what he had seen, most native creatures had already fled due to the terraforming. The ones remaining were likely newly spawned from Windows.

Ren crouched beside the corpse and used the knife he had borrowed from Lotus. He cut open the creature and retrieved its core, wiping the blade afterward before returning it. With that done, he stood and continued forward. They turned a corner, and suddenly something rushed into Ren’s Mana Zone. He prepared another Spell, but the figure came into view before he released it. The person also stopped abruptly.

“Ren? I thought you were that silver armored awakener. It’s good you’re okay. I was coming back to find you,” Freya said, surprise clear in her voice as she lowered her sword.

Ren and Lotus stared at her in stunned silence. She was bleeding a bit, and maybe she had some sprains, but other than that looked completely unharmed. No one would say she had fallen from a height that should’ve definitely killed her.

“Why are you staring at me like you’ve seen a ghost?” Freya asked, tilting her head.

“You’re… alive?” Lotus finally said.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Freya answered in a not so kind tone, completely different from what she used with Ren.

Ren tried to process the scene in front of his eyes. She had fallen from that height. Surviving alone was unlikely. Walking away without a single broken bone made even less sense.

“Freya, how high is your Constitution stat?” he suddenly asked.

“Guess?” she grinned, now relieved to see everyone was alive.

“It’s not… above 100, right?” Ren asked.

She only grinned wider.

Ren stared at her, realizing she seemed proud of the number. He was surprised, though not for the reason she probably expected. Pouring that many stat points into Constitution meant she had neglected growth in other areas, especially for someone with a Mechanic class. Still, the result spoke for itself. She had survived a fall that should have killed her.

“So where is the silver armored awakener? Why did he stop chasing us?” Freya asked.

“About that…”

Ren explained everything briefly, from the antenna to the automations and the Mechanic’s disappearance. As he spoke, Freya’s expression shifted from curiosity to disbelief. By the time he finished, she looked genuinely stunned.

“You figured all of that out from research papers? And then you used that to defeat him?” she asked.

“Yes,” Ren replied simply.

Freya studied his face, unsure what to say. His calm expression made it sound straightforward, as if anyone could’ve done it if they had read those theory papers. But she knew that in reality, thinking clearly under that pressure was far from easy. She shook her head lightly. The more she knew about Ren, the more absurd he looked.

“Alright. Then let’s move. You said we’re heading to the Pelulium Building?” she said.

Ren nodded, and the trio began moving toward the northern district after Lotus gave Freya a first-aid. The closer they got, the more uncomfortable they felt. The air carried a heavy sense of wrongness. Breathing became harder, forcing them to take deeper breaths. The air had grown thin and unpleasant. At least it no longer seemed to worsen, but the current condition was already bad enough. Fighting in this environment would drain stamina quickly.

As they moved, Ren noticed Lotus glancing at him repeatedly. She looked away each time he met her eyes. He understood what she wanted to ask. She wanted to know about her Beast. Ren had not told her that two participants were already inside the Trial. If her Beast had entered, its survival was uncertain, and her survival was tied to it.

Even though Ren stayed silent, she likely understood what had happened. She stayed silent because she was afraid to confirm the truth.

They entered another corridor, and Ren stopped. The floor was covered in black sludge. It moved slowly, like thick liquid creeping forward. The sight alone made his stomach tighten.

“Don’t touch it. We’ll move through the air,” Ren said.

Lotus nodded and raised her hands. She pulled earth from the ground and formed crude steps along the wall. The three of them climbed up, reaching the top, and Lotus then dragged more earth upward, layering it along the top of the wall to form a narrow pathway. As they advanced, she shifted the earth behind them forward, extending the path. The method allowed them to move without touching the sludge, while still leaving Ren free to fight if necessary.

From their elevated position, they saw that every corridor ahead was flooded. The closer they got to the Pelulium Building, the higher the sludge rose. The air became more wrong, and the oppressive feeling intensified. By the time they reached the outer area of the Pelulium Building, the sludge had almost reached the top of the walls. The entire Pelulium Building was submerged beneath the black mass. Only the upper edges of nearby structures remained visible.

Above it all, suspended in the air directly over the building, floated the massive sphere of faces. It hovered directly above where the Pelulium Building should have been, as if guarding it. Those human looking faces layered across its surface shifted slowly, mouths opening and closing in silent expressions that felt deeply unnatural. The sight alone made Ren guts clench, and the oppressive pressure—the sense of wrongess—in the air intensified the longer he looked at it.